


Richard Hendricks, Too-Smart-for-His-Own-Good Wizard

by Ripplebreeze



Series: Wizards of the Valley [2]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling, Silicon Valley (TV)
Genre: Gen, I don't know if this is any good tbh, Love them, but hey I better let this out before I delete it completely, wizards!
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-04-04
Updated: 2017-04-04
Packaged: 2018-10-14 21:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,939
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10544604
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ripplebreeze/pseuds/Ripplebreeze
Summary: What if Richard was a wizard in the Harry Potter universe? Here's my interpretation, featuring confused parents, actual sweetheart Jared, and a noisy kitten.





	

**Author's Note:**

> hey there! Thanks for checking this out! You really didn't have to, so it means a lot that you took time out of your day to read this small thing. Honestly, this took way too long and that's my bad. I've honestly come close to deleting this whole thing but I figured I would just post it and free myself from this little part! Anyways, I hope you enjoy!
> 
> also, thanks again to asshole-vacuum on tumblr for the info about houses! (you saved me a lot of headache omg)

“Richard!” Nancy’s eyes widened as Richard jumped and a stuffed cartoon cat crumpled to the ground. Nancy scooped Richard off of the ground and held him tightly, looking around the room for any intruders.

“Richard, sweetie, how did you do that?” Richard buried his face into his mother’s shoulder, trembling.

“I’m sorry for yelling, honey,” Nancy murmured in Richard’s ear. “I was shocked, that’s all. Everything is fine.”

“I-I wanted h-h-him to,” Richard bit his lip to stop tears from falling. “I’m s-sorry.”

“Shh, don’t apologize. It’s okay.” Nancy kissed the top of Richard’s head and placed him in his bed. “I’m sure it was nothing, okay? Just…” Nancy struggled to keep her voice even. 

“Let’s go to bed. It’s getting late.”

When Richard was tucked in and settled in bed, Nancy picked up the toy cat and went straight to her husband.

“Gary, I’m…worried about Richard.” Gary looked up from the evening paper and peered at Nancy. “He…he made his toy…float.”

“His toy cat…floated?” Gary’s eyebrow raised. “I think you’re just tired, has your insomnia been worse lately?”

“Gary!” Nancy snapped at Gary, making him flinch. “I’m not going crazy! I saw it! Richard was sitting there staring at it as it wobbled around in the air, he had such a look of concentration! It had to be him! It only stopped when I scared him…” Nancy took a shuddery breath.

“Let me see it.” Nancy handed the cat to Gary. He studied it at all angles, looking for a reasonable answer. Unless…

“Honey, tell me about your great-great uncle. The estranged one.”

“What does this have to do with our son?!“

“Please, this might…answer some questions.”

“He was crazy. Only his close family swore he was sane, but the rest of us didn’t believe them. He always carried a stick around and swore it wasn’t useless. His parents said they always sent him to a boarding school but we always saw him at home when boarding schools usually began their semesters. He was seen talking to animals and the gnomes in their yard.”

“And? What else did they claim?”

“They said that he was gifted. He could make things move...without touching…them,” Nancy’s voice died out. She shook her head vigorously. “That proves nothing! Our son isn’t insane.” 

“Of course not, Nance. It’s fine, just a theory. Let’s just…wait for tomorrow. Maybe this was a one-time thing, nothing to worry about.”

\---

It was not a one-time thing. Nancy and Gary ran out of theories as to what was causing Richard to make his toys float. He could change the colors of objects as well, as discovered by Gary when he noticed Richard’s room a brilliant green rather than the pale blue that he had painted years ago. Eventually, Nancy and Greg decided that, perhaps, Nancy’s uncle wasn’t crazy. He was simply gifted, like their son. Sadly, they could not ask anyone who didn’t believe that the uncle wasn’t crazy. A great-great uncle is a rather aged family member.

All seemed hopeless and confusing until, one day, a knock on the door interrupted Gary’s reading of the morning paper. Gary was up earlier in the morning than Nancy or Richard and he hoped the knock didn’t wake his wife. He sipped his coffee as he opened the door to a woman with a satchel. She was dressed in a plain looking skirt and blouse and she smiled widely at Gary.

“Can I help you?” He asked.

“Yes, I am here about your son, Richard. My name is Patrice.” Gary narrowed his eyes.

“What is he to you, Patrice?” Patrice didn’t let Gary’s tone shake her.

“I have all of the answers as to why your son can do extraordinary things! He has already shown some ability to make things move on their own, to my understanding. He’s truly amazing, Mr. Hendricks, but you already knew that. I’m here on behalf of Mr. Gregory, a man who would like to enroll your son in an amazing program full of opportunity. I am here to inform and answer all questions you may have about your son. I imagine it’s a lot of them.” Without hesitation, Gary invited her in.

“You’re saying you know what’s causing all of this?” Gary asked desperately. “My wife and I are terrified of letting him go to school. We don’t know what to do or how to control it.”

“May I sit down?” He nodded and Patrice sat on a couch by the coffee table. Gary sat hastily across from her, heart racing. Finally, some REAL answers.

“Alright, Mr. Hendricks, this will sound very crazy but what I am about to tell you is the truth.” Patrice smoothed out her skirt and crossed her legs. “Your son is a wizard.”  
Gary sighed. “Oh.”

“You think I’m crazy.” She smiled ruefully. “I don’t blame you. However, it is the truth.” Patrice reached into her satchel and took out a short stick. “Please, allow me to demonstrate.”

Patrice whispered something and waved her stick. Gary jumped as a wispy bobcat erupted from the stick and began to hop around the room. It eventually dissolved into mist and Gary just stared at Patrice with awe and slight fear.

“M-my son…he can do that?” He gestured vaguely at the spot the ghost cat disappeared.

Patrice chuckled. “Not yet, no. However, he can and most likely will learn.”

“Tell me…about the school you mentioned. Should we send our son to school? Is he safe?” Gary started firing questions at an unfazed Patrice.

“First, no, you do not have to send your son to kindergarten. Actually, I’d discourage it. Your son’s magic is very unpredictable at this stage and he could reveal to regular people that wizards exist. We can’t have that happen. When Richard turns eleven, he will receive a letter from our school. It is in Great Britain, but you’ll be asked to move overseas soon. For your place of employment, of course.”

“What?”

“Oh yes, the company is expanding overseas. Turns out that idea you proposed about spreading your influence to other places besides the US? The higher-ups are considering it and they will go for it.”

“How do you know all of that?”

“You ask about how to tell the future but not how I put a bobcat in your living room.”

“Magic is the answer, correct?”

“Correct. Anyway-“

“Papa?” Gary and Patrice turned to stare at the wizard himself. Richard, in Ninja Turtle pajamas, stood in the hallway clutching the stuffed cat and rubbing his eyes, his curly hair a mess. Patrice was smitten.

“You hungry, Richie? I’ll make you a peanut butter-jelly sandwich.” Gary stood from the coffee table and he stared warily at Patrice.

“He’s adorable, Mr. Hendricks.” She smiled at Richard as he squeezed his stuffed cat nervously.

“Thank you,” he said softly, looking at the ground.

“C’mon, bud, let’s eat some breakfast.” Richard grabbed Gary’s hand and disappeared into the kitchen with him. Patrice smiled as she watched a dining room chair move seemingly on its own to give Richard room to climb into it.

\---

“What are you doing?’ Richard sat next to Bighead, his best friend and neighbor.

“Watching some clouds,” Bighead pointed to a large puffy one. “That reminds me of a pygmy puff.”

“A…a what?”

“They’re these little puffy round things. Wizards keep them as pets generally.” Bighead’s parents were both wizards. The house next to them was at a remarkably cheap price because no muggle could handle the sheer oddity of their neighbors. That is, until the Hendricks took residence and found wizard mentors of a sort. Also, Richard and Bighead had someone to play with. It was a very pleasant situation for both families.

“Oh. I thought cats, toads, and owls were the normal pets.”

“They are, but magical creatures are pets sometimes too.”

“Master Bighetti and Master Hendricks!” Penny, the Bighetti family house elf, dashed up to the boys. “The adults ask for you to come inside! It’s time to travel to Diagon Alley and receive your supplies!”

“Cool. Thanks, Penny.” Bighead sat up and Richard smiled at Penny. She promptly bowed and stuttered out again that it wasn’t necessary to thank her and that it was too much. Richard was made uncomfortable by the attention, as he usually is. That didn’t matter. He needed to get his school supplies.

\---

This was taking longer than Richard expected. Mr. Ollivander, the wand maker, was struggling to find Bighead’s match. They’d tried dozens of wands, none of them bursting to life as they were supposed to. Richard almost cried with relief when a matching wand was finally given to Bighead. Mr. Ollivander also looked pleased.

“Silver lime, quite flexible, unicorn hair, 9 inches,” Mr. Ollivander said, proudly. “A wand skilled in legimency, I see.”

“Cool.” Bighead examined the wand, looking at it from all angles.

“And next is you!” Mr. Ollivander’s head swung to gaze at Richard balling his fists in his jacket. “Don’t be so nervous, young chap. We’ll find you only the best wand.” He turned back towards the shelves, humming as he picked out a wand.

Richard bounced on the balls of his feet. He triple-checked to make sure he had the galleons in his pocket to pay for the wand as Mr. Ollivander turned back to him. Richard took the wand presented, hesitantly. He didn’t want to break it, after all. He waved as he had seen Bighead do many times. It suddenly spat out blue sparks. Richard was mesmerized.

“Ah, see? I’m not bad at my job.” Mr. Ollivander chuckled. “Walnut, brittle, 9 inches…you struck me as of remarkable intelligence. You notice every detail. I could see you scanning my shop carefully.”

“T-thank you.”

“Now...that’ll be 14 galleons.” Richard paid for both wands and they left the shop.

“My parents said we should meet them at Florean’s,” Bighead said, licking his lips in anticipation.

“What’s that?”

“An ice cream shop!”

“You’re hungry already? We ate, like, an hour ago!”

“Yeah, but it was an hour ago!”

“You snacked on the way here!”

“Aw, it wasn’t that big of a snack!”

Richard shook his head at his friend. “I don’t know how you’re as thin as you are.”

“It’s a gift and I intend to take full advantage of it.”

\---

Richard breathed a sigh of relief when he saw an empty train cart. Bighead plopped down into a seat, his toad croaking from his pocket as he did so. Richard still wasn’t sure how to feel about Bighead’s pet. Reptiles and amphibians were not his favorite. Richard sat across from him, set his crate down, and shut the cart door, happy to be alone with Bighead and not have to talk to other people. His kitten, Oliver, mewled pitifully from Richard’s pet crate.

“I know; I don’t like small spaces either.” Richard clicked his tongue. “Bighead, can I let him out of the crate? He won’t escape if we kept the door shut.”

“I don’t see why not. Just make sure he’s safe when the sweets cart comes around.”

Richard hastily opened the door and picked Oliver up. Oliver was tiny, but he was just a kitten. He’d grow. He had the bluest eyes Richard had ever seen. Oliver was also not a fan of Francis, Bighead’s toad. So when Francis suddenly leaped out of Bighead’s shirt pocket, Oliver hissed and bounded out of Richard’s grasp.

The cart door slid open, a tall boy standing in the doorway. His eyes widened as he witnessed Richard and Bighead dash around the cart, trying to catch their respective pets. When Richard finally put Oliver back in his crate, he took in the stranger. Bighead was still trying to get a grip on Francis.

He was very thin, almost dangerously so. His brown hair was combed neatly, and the boy ran his hand through it nervously. “I’m sorry for interrupting but…ah.” His blue eyes darted around the cart quickly. “My friends were made prefects this year and our usual cart has been taken over already. Would you mind if I sat in here with you two? I promise I won’t be a disturbance!”

“Yeah dude, that’s fine,” Bighead said, breathlessly, having just caught Francis. “I’m Bighead and that’s Richard.”

“I’m Donald, though most people call me Jared. I’ll just sit here.” Donald, or Jared, sat right next to the door, away from the crate or Richard or Bighead.

“W-why do people call you Jared?” Richard licked his lips nervously. He wasn’t great around strangers.

“Oh, the Potions teacher called me that on accident. A lot of my peers thought that was funny and have just called me that. I quite like it, really. Jared is a nice name.”

“Yeah, it is. It suits you, man.” Bighead nodded in approval. “What year are you?”

“This is my fifth year here. I’m assuming you’re first years? I’ve never seen you two before.”

“Yeah, we’re-“

The train’s whistle blew, signaling the beginning of the ride. Bighead and Richard crowded by the window, looking for their parents. Jared loitered behind.

“Here, you want to peek?” Bighead shuffled closer to Richard to give Jared room. Jared nodded gratefully and looked out the window. Richard looked through the window, desperately trying to find his mother.

The train jolted forward and Richard found her vigorously waving. He waved back desperately, before he lost sight of her. Bighead waved to his parents as well and promptly sat down on the bench, stroking Francis’s head.

Jared finished waving and sat back at the corner, staring at the wall. Richard felt a pang of guilt and cleared his throat.

“You-uh…you can sit closer, Jared.” He perked up and smiled.

“Really? Are you sure?”

“Yeah…yeah I’m sure.” Jared scooted closer to Richard. Richard tried to relax as much as he could.

“So…what house are you in?” Bighead asked, his eyes not leaving the toad in his pocket.

“Hufflepuff. My friends are in Ravenclaw and Gryffindor though.”

“My parents are both from Slytherin. I think they really want me to be in that house.” Richard was very confused.

“I’m sorry but…houses?”

“Oh yeah, I never explained to you about that.” Bighead chuckled. “Hogwarts has four houses. Depending on how you are, you’ll get sorted into one and then yeah. That’s pretty much it.”

“How I am?”

“Yes, it depends on your traits,” Jared filled in. “Gryffindor is all about bravery.”

“Yeah, not that one.” Richard shook his head.

“Slytherin is about ambition, Ravenclaw is about wisdom, and Hufflepuff is about loyalty. All of the houses are wonderful in their own way.”

“Oh…that’s nice.” Richard’s attention was brought to the mewling coming from the crate. “Oliver, please.”

“Your cat’s name is Oliver?” Jared looked down at the crate, eyes full of affection.

“Yeah, he just hates that crate.” Richard sighed and picked it up. Oliver peered through the cage bars on the door. He stuck his paw out towards Jared, who looked surprised. Oliver cried more, struggling to get to Jared. “Huh. Um…”

“Let him out, dude. I’ve got Francis.”

Richard unlatched the crate door and Oliver jumped on Jared’s lap. Jared looked very touched. He gently reached and picked up his tiny body, mumbling to him.

“Oliver never greets strangers. It took him a week to get used to Bighead,” Richard said, amazed.

“Oh, you’re so soft.” Richard and Bighead looked at Jared, surprised to hear him sniffing. “I love you.”

“Okay…don’t cry Jared.”

\---

“Bighetti, Nelson!” Richard tried to wipe the sweat off of his hands as he stood in the line of first-years. He tried not to think about the expectant crowd of older students. He thought about Jared’s encouraging smile and gentle reassurance that while it’s a frightening thing, the sorting isn’t all that bad.

“Hufflepuff!” Richard snapped back to reality to watch Bighead take off the talking hat. Jared was clapping the loudest from the Hufflepuff table as Bighead walked to the empty seat next to Jared. Richard couldn’t help but pray to be sorted into Hufflepuff. He really didn’t want to be alone in whatever house he was in.

Time seemingly sped up for him as the line got shorter and shorter. Soon there were only three kids separating him from the hat. Then, it was two. Then it was one. Fuck.  
“Hendricks, Richard!” Oh god. He forced his legs to move and prayed that he wouldn’t trip on the way up. He awkwardly sat on the stool and tried to stop trembling. This is going horribly, shit. He put on the hat and waited.

_Richard.  
Yeah, that’s me. Hey, um…can I pick my house?_

_Why would you want that?_

_Well…my best friend has been sorted into Hufflepuff. I made friends with Jared…Donald Dunn. Another Hufflepuff. I don’t want to be alone…_

_I am obligated to sort all students into houses where they’ll flourish the most, Richard. Hufflepuff, while a great house, is not the one for you._

_“What?!”_ Richard cringed, realizing he’d muttered that out loud.

_I’ve been doing this for a very long time. You’re a highly intelligent individual. You have a way with numbers and you navigate your way around data with such ease._

“Ravenclaw!” The hat cried out with finality. Oh god. The Ravenclaw table erupted into cheers, seemingly mocking how Richard felt at that moment. He made his way slowly to the table, finding the first seat available. Well, shit. He looked at the boy next to him, with the messy long hair and glasses. Terrifying. Simply terrifying.


End file.
